The Igs have come again! Of the winners, my favorite this year is probably John Perry of Stanford University, who won the Literature Prize for his Theory of Structured Procrastination. In short, it says: To be a high achiever, always work on something important, using it as a way to avoid doing something that’s even more important.
It’s funny — but also (at least, based on my experience) true! And what it means is that in order to get more done, I should have a higher, impossible goal, like, say, Broker World Peace, Annihilate Malaria, and Create Universally Available Potable Water. Then maybe I could finish my taxes and get the housework done.
The complete list of winners is here: 2011 Ig Nobel Prize Winners.
Improbably Research’s Youtube channel has the ceremony (a little under 2 hours long). If that’s too long for you, may I suggest The Best of Miss Sweetie Poo, the secret weapon of unbearable cuteness deployed at the ceremony to keep speakers from exceeding their allotted time.
The Science of Heroes 